B's Revenge
by Mad for Beyond Birthday
Summary: Two interviewers get a strange letter, signed only with the letter B. It's clear who sent this...and the words written on it will test their strength. Will the accept the challenge, or will they run from one of the world's most feared serial killers?
1. Chapter 1

**Author(s) Notes: HELLO! And welcome to the FIRST co-authored fic between Hoshiko13 and BeyondBirthday93. Can't really give too much away about this, other than this small summary and discliamer.**

**Disclaimer: Neither Hoshiko13 nor BeyondBirthday93 own Death Note: Another Note, Death Note, Beyond Birthday, or any of the other characters there in this story EXCEPT the parts they play as themselves (BeyondBirthday93 is BB, Hoshiko13 is Shiko). Other than that, we do not own, so no suing.**

**Summary: ****Two interviewers get a strange letter, signed only with the letter B. It's clear who sent this...and the words written on it will test their strength. Will the accept the challenge, or will they run from one of the world's most feared serial killers?**

_It was a dark day in Columbus, Ohio. The sky was black with storm clouds, black as my mood. Today my partner and I had failed, once _again_, to get a good interview. Why wouldn't the bosses give us a chance? Sure, we were both great writers, but we _really_ wanted that one perfect interview. I stormed up to my office building, opening the mailbox just outside the door. I blinked when I found, not a pile of bills as I had expected, but a letter. A letter covered in...what looked to be blood._

Shiko sighed as she walked in, tossing her rain coat to the ground. "Alright, BB, our bosses are officially mess up jerks. Did you get the mail?" She asked, plopping down onto the couch in their shared office. "How are we expected to pay our bills if we don't have any money?" she questioned, before looking at the letter. "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

BB looked up at Shiko. "I don't know _what_ it is. All I know is we don't have any bills today, we just got this. Ugh, and don't remind me of our bosses...I feel like they're running me over with a steam roller." BB sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Today was _awful_...I wish they'd just up and die sometimes..."

The girl on the couch chuckled. "Don't get my hopes up." She said, before standing and walking to the kitchen. "I'm getting some coffee. Want anything?" she called as an afterthought.

BB sighed and placed his crossed arms on the table, laying his forehead against them. His voice was a muffled yell as he said "Yeah, can you pour me a cup, too? I really need it."

"Alright!" Shiko called, grabbing two mugs and pouring coffee into each. She also added some milk, and was just about to put in sugar when she had a thought. Laughing softly, she grabbed brown sugar instead of regular sugar, and added that in. Then she carefully grabbed the two cups by the handle and carried them into the office placing one on the desk and sipping her own. She blinked in surprise; the coffee was better than she thought it would be. With a grin she said, "This tastes way better than normal coffee!"

BB blinked and looked up at Shiko's exclamination. "...I'll take your word for it...please put it down on the table?" When Shiko set the coffee cup onto the table, BB reached over for it and held it in one hand, the mysterious letter in the other. "Wonder where this came from..." he questioned, touching one of the red stains on the envelope.

Shiko looked at the letter. "Maybe it was a mistake? It could actually be meant for, um, a member of the mafia! If we open it we could get killed!" She said, her imagination and paranoia working together, as always.

BB looked up at Shiko. "I don't think so. Look, it has our names and address on it." And, indeed, the envelope was addressed to the both of them, with their office number and building right there in the upper left-hand corner. BB pulled his finger back from the red stain and stuck it in his mouth almost thoughtfully, tasting the red substance that had come off with it.

The girl tilted her head. "Are you sure that's safe?" She asked quietly. "I don't need my partner getting poisoned."

BB turned to face her. "I don't think the stuff on this is poisoned, Shiko," he said with a slight frown on his face. Then, he pulled his finger from his lips and tapped it on the letter. "This entire envelope is covered in strawberry jam."

"Well how was I supposed to know it was jam?" Shiko asked, sipping her coffee again. "BB, try the coffee. It's ridiculously good." With those words, Shiko finished her cup off, looking pointedly at BB's own full mug.

BB sighed slightly, "Alright, alright. Will you open up the letter first, though? I want to see what it says...maybe it'll give us a clue as to who sent this." BB picked up the cup of coffee in one hand and gave Shiko the letter with the other, watching with obvious interest as she slit open the top and pulled out a relatively jam-free piece of paper. "What's it say?" he asked.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"It says, 'I am someone you may have heard of. Are you ready? I am one of two writers of great renoun in publishing. Would you like to listen to this wonderful song you should hear? Here it is. The story is the story of a lifetime. I hope you will accept my offer. The story is known by few. If so, please come to Los Angeles. The house number is 4913. Good luck. Because of storms.' Probably some whack job who read our one and only published interview." she said, turning it over. "How is this thing so _clean_ if the envelope was covered in jam?" she asked.

BB shrugged, taking a sip of the coffee in his cup. He wrinkled his nose a bit. "Um...Shiko?"

"What?" Shiko asked, setting the letter on the table.

BB sent the coffee cup down, a slightly strange look on his face. "What did you put in that coffee? It tastes...strange."

"I put brown sugar in it," she responded. "I think it tastes better if you ask me."

BB frowned. "UGH! _BROWN_ sugar? I _swear_, you are the _weirdest_ person I've ever met! _EVERYBODY_ knows that coffee only tastes good with _regular_ sugar. This tastes...way too sweet." Making a slightly disgusted face, he pushed the coffee mug further away from him, not noticing he was moving it closer to the letter.

Shiko blinked. "Well I think it tastes better!" she shouted, slamming a fist into the table. The vibrations caused the coffee cup to tip over, spilling the hot coffee onto the letter, completely covering most of the sentences. Shiko jumped back, then stared at the letter in shock.

BB glared angrily at Shiko. "Ah, great! Look what you did! Now the whole thing is ruined and..." BB trailed off as he looked at the letter, watching as some of the words disappeared from the page where the coffee had touched, leaving only a few words left to be seen on the page. "...what the...?"

Shiko picked up the paper, her hands trembling slightly. "N-n-now it says...'I have heard you are writers of great renoun. Would you like to hear the story...the story of a lifetime? _My_ story? If so, come to Los Angeles. The house number is 4913. Good luck. B.'" The girl felt the blood draining from her face.

"Y-you don't think...?" She muttered quietly.

BB looked at the letter, his already pale face draining down to pure white. Slowly, his mouth formed two words, the most feared words in the US as of now: "Beyond Birthday."

Shiko felt her brain click into dictionary mode. "Beyond Birthday is the culprit of the Los Angeles murder case. After being arrested, he escaped from jail and nobody has heard from him since. Why would he send us a letter?"

"...He wants us to hear the story of a lifetime." BB said, quoting from the letter. He stood off the couch he'd been sitting on and paced around the room. "...But...if he was looking for someone to hear the story of a life..._HIS_ story..."

BB frowned and looked over at Shiko. "Do you think...he...wants to be interviewed...by _us_?"

"Why would he pick us?" she asked. Then the imaginative paranoia came into play again. "Maybe he wants to kill you! You go by 'BB' and maybe he wants to start killing again and...and..." She trailed off, her mind coming to a blank. "Maybe you're right. If he wanted to kill us he wouldn't have sent a letter. Would he?

"I don't know. No one knows how his mind works...he could want to kill us, he could just want an interview. We won't know until we go." BB said thoughtfully.

With eyes narrowed, BB reached out a finger and traced the words on the letter, being careful of the coffee. "Shiko?"

"Please tell me you _don't_ want to go." The girl said, staring at the letter.

BB looked up at her, eyes filled with anticipation and a slight bit of fear. "...We've got the chance of our lifetime right here. Beyond Birthday, asking _us _to interview him. It's like he said...the story of a life. One chance here, Shiko. What do you say?"

She sighed. "Fine, but if he tries to kill us, I'm blaming you." She sighed again, "We have a lot of stuff to get."

BB nodded once and traced over the letter one last time, letting his finger linger on the B at the very end. _'Beyond Birthday...and the story of a lifetime. I wonder...What will it be like?'_

**Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, California...**

I look out the window at the storming sky, watching a streak of lightning flash through the clouds. Those interviewers must have gotten my letter by now. I smile. Now everything can begin. My true story will be revealed to all.

**End Notes:**

**The ink used on the letter (the one that disappears when heat touches it) does NOT exist. Let me repeat: this ink DOES NOT exist. It is the creation of BeyondBirthday93's mind. IT IS NOT REAL (at least, BB does not think it is).**

**About the POVs: The first part of this story (the italic paragraph) was BB's FIRST PERSON POV. After that, it went into third person. The LAST paragraph was in Beyond Birthday's POV. This is how we will be doing the first few chapters. We'll have the second one posted as soon as possible. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**~Hoshiko13 and BeyondBirthday93**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author(s) notes: Here we have the second chapter! Yay! (By the way, Shiko is typing the note this time.)**

**Disclaimer: Neither of us own anything, except ourselves, and Beyond Bunny. Beyond Bunny is the plot bunny for the story. He is really big right now. **

_"'Shopping. Why did I bother dragging my partner with me? When it comes to shopping guys have the attention span of a flea.' I thought as I looked at the list we had to get. Only a few things were left. Extra tapes, a few jars of jam, and a backpack. I had already shoved everything else in the cart."_

BB reached over for several more jars of strawberry jam, adding them to the five jars he already had. 'I know this guy is supposed to be a jam-lover,' BB thought, 'but to stock up on twenty jars of jam? Shiko's gone insane!' With those thoughts, BB took the shopping basket filled with jam and went off to find Shiko, knowing she would either be looking for the backpack or the tape, thinking about how horrid he was at shopping. 'Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I don't know how to shop.' BB grumbled in his thoughts, pausing as he passed the recordable tapes. 'Hmm...how many would we need for this?'

Shiko smiled as she picked out the backpack to carry everything in. It was a pure black one, with a dragon on it. The dragons was emerald green, and coiled up, it's head tilted as if looking at whoever held the backpack. On the other side was a snake of the same color. Then she dragged her cart, which had a recording device, a new bag of brown sugar and a large thermos, over to find her partner. "Get a dozen." She said, when she saw him puzzling of the tapes.

BB smiled up at Shiko and grabbed a dozen more recordable tapes, to add to the three dozen he'd already gotten. When he saw Shiko looking at the large amount of tape (it WAS excessive, more tape than they'd ever had to use for an interview before), he shrugged. "We don't know how long his story is going to be. Best to have a surplus, just in case."

Shiko nodded, then dropped the backpack in. "I love the design on this thing. It's so pretty." She said, smiling as she studied the dragon. "So you think we should bring something," she lowered her voice, "just in case he tries to kill us?"

BB frowned, but nodded. "Yeah...I prepared for it." he whispered lowly, bringing out two sharp butcher knives from the very bottom of the basket. They were long, about seven inches, and stainless steel. Both were covered by a protective covering, one which was a dark blood red with a silver dragon, the other a bright jade green with a silver snake. "...do you think these will work?"

Shiko nodded. "I get the jade dagger." She said softly, studying them. "They should work, although if it really is B, there's no doubt he is planning that we'll bring something to protect ourselves." She mused, before speaking at her normal volume. "This story should be worth it though, now we just have to book to plane tickets to L.A!"

BB nodded, smiling slightly as he looked off to the side to examine the newest recording devices. "Already done. I booked a flight that leaves at noon tomorrow. All we REALLY have to do is get the bosses to give us some time off so we can get this story. I don't know about you, but I think they'd say we were crazy if we told them we were going to interview Beyond Birthday. They'd probably fire us on the spot." He frowned at that, his black brows knitting together. "And neither of us can afford that, what with bills and everything piling up." He sighed sadly. "Doesn't it all seem like too much sometimes?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah it does." She sighed. The only reason she had even taken the job was because she had been fired from her previous one. "But if this is an actual story, we won't need to worry about that. We should get enough money to hold of the bills, and our bosses will give us more credit." The girl smiled, then blinked. "Hang on, I forgot something." She said, as she turned and start running to a different part of the store.

BB blinked and tilted his head to the side, wondering what on earth she could have forgotten. 'Hmm...well, it IS Shiko...knowing her, it could be anything.' BB smiled slightly at the thought of his crazy friend, and everything their evil bosses had put them through. 'At least she's not normal. That's one good thing about her.' He smiled again and looked back over the recording devices, waiting for his friend's return.

The girl grabbed a copy of a book, then turned and raced back, sliding to a halt directly in front of the cart. "Okay, found it." The girl said, dropping a copy of the LABB murder case into the basket. The last copy had ended up chucked out the window. She hadn't realized it was true at the time, and really didn't like the end. "Don't worry, this won't we be kept away from open windows." She said, dropping the book into the cart. Then, suddenly, her phone rang, playing the song 'Angels cry.' "Someone's texting me." She muttered, surprised.

BB chuckled. "Well, surely you have other friends besides me, Shiko. They're BOUND to text you." He teased playfully. "Maybe its a secret admirer, ready to admit his love to you." He reached over to playfully ruffle Shiko's hair, just to tease her some more. "Come on, read it. I want to know the lucky guy who's texting you."

"Hey!" Shiko exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring. "Just because I'm younger and shorter doesn't mean you can tease me." She huffed, before grabbing her phone and hitting the 'accept message' button. Then she tilted her head. "I don't know who this is from. It's not from either of my friends." She said, puzzled.

BB blinked and reached over for Shiko's phone, grabbing it between his forefinger and thumb. "Hmm...what does it say, Shiko?" he asked, trying to pry the phone from her grip to read it for himself.

The girl tugged her phone away. "It says 'Bpuyurrhouyforgnitiawmi .' So, basically gibberish." The girl said. "What the heck does that even mean?" She muttered, holding the phone upside down.

"Hmm..." BB frowned in thought, putting the tip of his forefinger to his lips and tapping them in a rhythm. "Maybe it's coded...like the letter. Maybe it's B...but...if it's him...and he's sending a message to you on a cell phone..." In a flash, the phone was in BB's hands, and he was letting his eyes roam over the screen, from right to left this time, rather than the normal way of left to right reading.

Shiko blinked, the crossed her arms. "I suppose this means we should delete that once we figure out what it says?" The girl asked, sarcastically. Then she sighed. "you know, we could wait until we get back to the office and use some paper."

BB frowned and let his shoulders slump slightly. "No need. This message isn't so hard. It's written backwards. It says, 'I'm waiting for you. Hurry up. B.'" He looked from the phone to Shiko with worried eyes. "He's waiting for us...he knows your cell number...and he's getting impatient. We've got to talk to the bosses as soon as we get done here, no question. Then we pack up and get ready for our flight. We don't want him to wait for very long." BB handed Shiko her cell phone back, putting his finger tips to his lips again and tapping at them in the same rhythm as before.

The girl deleted the message, then replaced her phone. "How does he know my number?" The girl said with a whimper, her paranoia acting up again. "Come on, let's go buy this stuff. I want to get packed as soon as possible." The girl muttered, shivering to herself.

BB grabbed the cart Shiko had and wheeled it to the check out counter, handing over his credit card to pay the total amount. "Sheesh, this is a lot of jam," the cashier said. "You two planning something for it?" BB shook his head. "No, not really. We're going to give it to someone." The cashier leered. "Oh, RIIIGHT...of COURSE you are." BB glared slightly at the annoying cashier, but ignored him. He remembered the message from B, and knew they had to leave as soon as possible. "Just get this stuff bagged and we'll be on our way."

Shiko grabbed her backpack as soon as it was checked, and put everything save the jam in it. "I'll meet you outside she mumbled softly, turned and walking to the door. Once out of the store, the girl sat on a bench and held her head in her hands, staring at the sky and wondering what they were going to do. This interveiw would be dangerous. There was no doubt about that. They could both be killed. Suddenly, the girl had an idea. A little saftey thing. The thought set her paranoia to rest for the time being.

BB took a deep breath and left the annoying cashier at the check out counter, going out to find Shiko. He looked around for a few minutes before he saw her sitting on the bench just outside the coffee shop, the one meant for customers who had to catch buses on short notice. He chuckled quietly to himself and went to join her. "Shiko?" he asked quietly, hoping not to disturb her from her thoughts. The last time he'd done that, she'd jumped up from her seat and screamed at him, which had hurt his ears a bit. He prayed it wouldn't happen this time.

The girl turned to her friend and grinned. "When we interview B, we're going to go one at a time. Although I think we should both go for the first bit." She said, musing to herself. "That way, if the other doesn't come back, we can always call the police. Right?" She asked, tilting her head. Then she grabbed her backpack and some of the jars. "Well, let's get going. We have a trip to plan."

**Los Angeles:**

_'Hmm, I wonder how long it will take those two to find me. I know they're coming here tomorrow, but will that be soon enough? Ah, what a chance this will be, for both them _AND_ myself.' I walk down the streets of LA, narrowing my red eyes at the sidewalks, walking past would-be movie starlets and has-been musicians. Ah, yes, Los Angeles was home to Hollywood, where you could make the big time. Why even bother? There was nothing in for it. You sell your soul to the devil when you try to shine like the sun. A woman approaches me, probably thinking I'm homeless, wanting to be good for the "less fortunate." What she doesn't know is how _UNFORTUNATE_ she is. I smile at her and hold out my hand to "accept" the money she holds out. Instead of grabbing the bills, I grab her wrist, dragging her into the alley behind me, my knife already out, a silver gleam in the dark. Hehaheahahahahaha..._

**This time the first person bit is brought to you by Shiko! Hehe, now leave a review, so we can go see B!**

**~Shiko and BB**


	3. Chapter 3

**BB: WELCOME BACK! This is the third chapter of Hoshiko13 and my co-authored fic, B's Revenge! We're getting through these chapters quite rapidly, are we not? -Smiles-**

**Disclaimer: Neither Hoshiko13 nor BeyondBirthday93 own Death Note: Another Note, Death Note, Beyond Birthday, or any of the characters therein, excluding their own "monikers" of BB and Shiko.**

**~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~**

_I sighed as I finished packing the last of my clothes into my suitcase, hoping they would be enough. I'd called ahead and resereved the plane tickets a few hours ago from my cell phone, and I already had our hotel rooms ready, so that was all taken care of. Now all we had to do was tell our bosses we would need some time off for a little while. Ugh...I hope this will be worth it. If this really _is_ Beyond Birthday, Shiko and I might just get the interview that could change our lives...that is...if he didn't kill us..._

Shiko had packed her own clothes into the other side of her backpack. She bit her lip, debating over whether to bring her blanket or not. It might seem childish, but her grandmother had given her a green blanket when she was young, decorated with a leaf printing, and she had always kept it around. With a sigh, she folded the blanket and stuffed it in, effectively stuffing her backpack to the point that not even a penny could fit. "Hey BB, did you pack the jam in the suitcase?" she called to her partner.

"Yeah, but I put it in the cooler instead. That way it won't get too hot and spoil!" He called back, eyes scanning over everything in his suitcase. It was packed to the brim with black long sleeved t-shirts and jeans, the same things he always wore. "Shiko, did you remember to put all the tape in the case? We don't want to forget any of it!" He called out to her, reaching over to his nightstand and opening the one drawer in there, extracting the copy of the book about the LABB cases. He had been reading it over, memorizing every aspect he could about the mysterious person known only as B.

"Yeah! Did you study?" she called back, shouldering the backpack and walking out, the case with all the recording instruments dangling from her hand. "We need to try and understand B as best we can. To keep ourselves from being killed." she said, stating the obvious on her normal voice tone.

BB didn't say a single thing back, instead just opened the book's cover, flipping to the title page. "Yeah, I'm re-reading the book again, just to make sure I understand it all. We don't want to miss a thing when it comes to him...One mistake, even the smallest one, could cost us our lives." He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "I've got a few questions, though...How did he learn your cell number? And...why did he decide that _NOW_ would be the best time to come out again?"

Shiko shrugged. "I don't know, BB." she muttered, plopping down on the couch miserably. Then, with a sigh, she pulled out her phone."I'm calling boss now," she mumbled, hitting the speed dial. She had all her contacts on speed dial, considering there were a total of four. When the phone was answered, she hit the speaker button.

"Hello? HELLO?" BB rolled his eyes at the sound of their boss's voice. "Hey, boss," he said, trying to keep the tone of his voice cordial and neutral.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TWO DOING CALLING ME AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW LATE IT IS?" BB looked at Shiko, mouthing the words "Can we just hang up on him?"

Shiko sighed, shaking her head. Then the girl decided to just be blunt. "Um, sir? The two of us would like to request time off, for a vacation." she said, meekly. "It's very important, sir!"

"WHAT? WHY DO YOU TWO NEED A VACATION?" The boss screamed through the speakers on the phone. BB growled lowly, but forced his voice into a normal, polite tone. "Sir, we're exhausted. If we had some time off, maybe it could help us with our writing skills. You know how important it is to rest the mind!"

Shiko nodded, though it was pointless. "Sir, we haven't had a vacation in over a year. We've worked harder than most other employees. All we're asking for is a break!" The girl said in a rare moment of courage.

BB smiled at Shiko, happy that she was showing some courage for once. He then let his face change into a serious expression and he spoke in a soft, polite tone of voice. "Sir, we aren't asking for a year or anything. We're not even asking for a month. Just a few days, a week at most, please?"

"Fine. You can have a week." The boss sighed in defeat. Shiko grinned as she snapped the phone closed. "BB, if we get through this interview alive, let's leave B a little not with our boss's address..." the girl trailed off, laughing like her partner normally did.

BB smiled. "Sure. That will be perfect...besides...he wouldn't mind it, would he?"

An evil smirk crossed his lips and he let out a low chuckle that built up to a laugh, one that rang off the walls. It was deranged, insane, and somehow menacing. "He won't know what hit him..."

Shiko nodded.

"Exactly," she said, halting her own insane laughter. When she realized how she had been laughing, she giggled in her usual fashion.

"BB, I'm turning into you!" she said, chuckling.

BB smiled and nodded, "Yes, you are. Woe is me, I am corrupting your innocent mortality. Can you ever forgive me?"

He laughed again, this time a softer version of the one before, and leaned back against the couch.

"Well, we've got everything done. We're packed, we've got our tickets, our hotel rooms are already reserved...we just have to spend the night learning as much as we can about Beyond Birthday." He handed Shiko the book he'd been keeping in his other hand. "You want to start reading?"

Shiko sighed dramatically, "I suppose I could forgive you this one time."

She smirked, "I read that book before, but I think I'm going to bed. We need rest as well as knowledge; we can read that on the plane."

BB nodded and looked at the book in his hands. "You go ahead, okay? I think I'm going to read a little more. Just to be prepared."

Shiko nodded, then smiled at her partner.

"Goodnight, BB," she said before turning and going back to her own room. Once she got there she curled up under the blankets, but sleep would not come.

"Oh, God, I really _am_ turning into BB," she mumbled.

Downstairs, BB sighed and read through the book again, letting his fingers roam over its pages.

_'Hmm...Beyond Birthday...you are so interesting.'_ BB thought, tilting his head to the side. _'A few changes to myself and the two of us could be twins of a sort. Hehaheaha...'_

BB smiled before standing up and going to his own room, leaving the book on the coffee table. There would be more time to worry in the morning.

**~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~**

**Los Angeles:**

_I came out of the alley, my knife back in my pocket. The woman lay on the cold concrete, her blood draining from her body. Ah, it felt good to kill again. Hmm...I wonder when my little interviewers would get into town. It had better be soon...I'm getting impatient. What I need is a nice jar of jam...a jar of jam and a cup of tea. With that final thought, I walked off to the "house" I had temporary residence in...the house where my story would be told to two strangers who would tell the world. Hehaheaha..._


	4. Chapter 4

**BB: HELLO, EVERYONE! And welcome back to yet another chapter of B's Revenge, a collaboration between Hoshiko13 (called Shiko in the story) and BeyondBirthday93 (called BB, of course). We hope you will enjoy the product of our strange minds.**

**Disclaimer: The only thing we own are ourselves, as well as Beyond Bunny (the plot bunny from this story, who is now as big as the STATUE OF LIBERTY! THE STATUE OF F-ING LIBERTY! CHEER FOR US). Oh, and I must put this: I do not I do not condone anyone trying to sneak a dangerous object past an airport security system. Yes, this is possible, but DO NOT DO IT! UNDERSTOOD? DON'T DO IT! Thank you, and have a nice week!**

**~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~**

_I backed into the wall, turning my head away as the killer stepped forward easily. Pressing my back against the wall, I had several thoughts in my head. 'I knew this would happen. I told BB we shouldn't come.' Then I felt something strange. It felt kinda like wind. Really fast wind. I blinked open my eyes to see various things passing by outside. After a few seconds of initial grogginess, I remembered what was going on. We were heading to the airport, and I had taken a nap. So it must have been a nightmare. . ._

BB turned to look at Shiko, smiling slightly. "Finally awake, princess?" he said teasingly, turning to face the flow of traffic again. He hated having to go to airports, where everything was so crowded and busy. But what lied beyond the airport was what made his heart race. Beyond Birthday...the interview of a lifetime...

Shiko glared at her partner. "Shut up BB." She muttered, folding her arms and sitting up. She had a dark red mark on her face from leaning against the seat-belt. "So, are we getting close to the airport?"

He nodded. "Yep. We should be there in about half an hour, but, with the way this traffic is going, it might take longer. Gods, I swear, airports are the most crowded places on earth nowadays." With that said, he honked the horn once again, trying to keep his temper in control. "And don't tell me to shut up; it's not my fault you decided to play Sleeping Beauty."

The girl sighed. "Sorry. I had a nightmare. I really hate those. Yeah, they are. People like flying to much, we should just grow wings." she muttered, still not fully awake. "How are we going to get the daggers through the metal detectors?"

BB smiled slightly. "Leave that to me. I know how to get a lot of things past metal detectors, Shiko. Don't forget what I used to do for a living before we met."

She nodded. "Yeah, you studied all those serial killers for college. I suppose one of them brought a weapon through the airport with him?" The girl asked, thinking about her own past. She had always dreamed of being an author, but since she didn't have enough money to go to the proper school, she had settled for an interviewer. She got to write, plus she met a lot of interesting people.

BB nodded. "Yes, they did. I studied about him, figured that one day it'd be a good thing to know." He let his eyes glaze over in remembrance of studying all of those serial killers. While none of them were like B, they were all unique in their own way, and each of them had skills BB thought might have been useful one day. "So, what do you think B's doing right now, other than waiting for us."

The girl shrugged. "Who knows? I wonder how much of the stuff in that book is actually true." The girl said softly, referring to the parts about the Shinigami Eyes. "What do you think?"

"Hmm..." BB focused his eyes back on the road, his mind thinking. "I think that the book might be right in some points, it might be wrong in others. If he really _DOES _have Shinigami Eyes, as it was said...then the two of us could be in big trouble. He might kill us, depending on what he 'sees.'"

Shiko nodded. "That's what I'm worried about." She muttered. Then she looked up. "Hey, we're here." She said, pointing to the large sign that said the airport was jsut ahead.

BB smiled. "Finally. I think you might be right about the wing thing, though, Shiko. If there was anyway I could trade for a Shinigami's Wings, I'd be the happiest person alive. No more having to worry about the flow of traffic."

Shiko chuckled. "Maybe you could bribe one. It shouldn't be that hard, just figure out what kind of food it likes." She said, grinning. "I doubt the food is any good there."

BB laughed a little and pulled into a parking space. "Yeah, I bet." he said, making a face at the thought of airport food. "Hopefully they might have something that we can eat OTHER than those little packages of peanuts." He smiled and turned off the car's engine, unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door, bending down to look back inside. "Shiko?"

"What?" The girl asked, unbuckling her own seat-belt and grabbing her stuffed backpack.

BB frowned a bit, then took a deep breath and sighed out, "Thanks for coming with me on this." Before she could reply, he was standing up straight after grabbing his own suit case from the back seat, closing the door. BB wasn't good with emotional speaking, and so he normally shut anyone out before they could reply. He leaned against the side of the car, waiting for Shiko to get out.

Shiko climbed out of the car, a small smile playing on her face. "Of course I came. Who else is going to save you if it turns out this guy just brought us here to kill us?" She said, putting the backpack on her shoulder and closing the door

BB shrugged. "We better get going, our flight leaves in half an hour." Here BB shrugged his suitcase over his shoulder and started towards the terminal, his pace slowed slightly by his shuffling feet.

The girl nodded. "Hmm. . . Maybe we should raid the snack machines before we get on the plane." The girl mused. "And the soda machines. I doubt the have anything to drink on flight either."

Her partner nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so. I remembered to bring a lot of extra cash, just in case we decided to raid the machines. This way we don't have to worry so much about our stomachs being torn apart by evil airline food." He shuddered in fear, remembering all the horrid meals the two of them had eaten on planes before.

The girl grinned. "So, want me to get the drinks or the snacks?" She asked, tilting her head. "If you get the snacks remember to get gum." She added. Gum was important for planes, because gum helped keep people ears from popping to much. It saved a lot of trouble and pain

BB nodded. "I'll get the snacks, and the gum." He pulled out a few dollar bills, handing half of them to Shiko and taking the other half to the snack machines, studying the layout of the terminal on his way. 'Okay, the metal detectors should be easy to trick in this place...hmm...hopefully no one will notice when I manage it.'

The girl frowned at the machine, then began trying to decide what kind of soda to get. Finally she shrugged and got some water, and some root-beer. That would probably be good. Then she went to go catch up to her partner.

BB put all of the snacks into the side pocket on his suitcase, looking up when he heard the familiar sound of Shiko's approach. The girl always made such a big fuss when she was in crowded places. BB preferred to stay silent and unknown. "Hey, Shiko. Did you get the drinks?"

She nodded. "Root beer and water. Two each." She stated, smiling. "Did you get the snacks?" She asked. "And the gum." was added as an after thought. Then she shifted on her feet carefully, looking around. The girl had always hated crowds, mostly because she had gotten lost once. She had been alone for a few hours, and for whatever reason, that had left a slight fear in her mind, one which she had yet to tell anybody.

He nodded his head once. "Yep. I basically cleaned the machine out," BB said with a chuckle, remembering how many of the packets of gum and snacks he'd bought. "We're set for the entire flight, I believe." Then he flashed a smile, a brilliant, but childish smile, then turned it off instantly. "I'm pretty sure we can get by with tricking those metal detectors. I passed them on my way, so I know exactly what to do."

The girl nodded. "Well, we should probably get going. The plane should be taking off soon." Then, with a slight twirl she turned and started walking. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "Remind me to get you to teach me how to do this kind of stuff."

BB walked after her, matching his pace to hers until they were side-by-side. "Of course, Shiko. I'll teach you one day. I promise." As he said this, BB's eyes were examining everyone in the airport, his mind wondering if any of them were holding a message from B. "Shiko...do you think...it's possible that B...could have someone here? Someone following us?"

Shiko blinked. "How would he know. . .Why am I bothering to ask?" She muttered. "It's possible, but why bother?"

"To keep track of us. Make sure we don't betray him, turn him in. I mean, if this IS the real Beyond Birthday, the police _EVERYWHERE_will be looking for him. And if we can give them his whereabouts, we'd probably get some kind of reward money for it. B might not trust us as much as we think he does, Shiko. It could be possible that he's got someone following our every move, like how a master chess player moves his opponent right into a check mate." BB looked around one last time, his eyes taking in everything, from the old grandmother by the window to the baby screaming in the back of the building. "We have to be really careful on this. We can't forget who he is for a _SECOND_. Any one wrong move could be the end of both of us."

"Didn't I already say that?" The girl muttered, looking up at the sky. "You're right, let's just hope if some one is they weren't following us at the store." She said in a whisper.

BB rolled his eyes at Shiko, making sure she didn't see, then turned his face indifferent. "That's correct. If they were, they've seen the daggers already. Though, with B, I'm pretty sure he'd know that we would bring something to protect ourselves."

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Oh my god!" She exclaimed suddenly, looking at the number for the flight gate. "This. . . This is our flight right?" She asked, checking the screen. Sure enough, it said they were at the flight that left for L.A in about ten minutes.

BB nodded. "Yes, that's ours. We'd better get ready to board. Come on, we've got to go through baggage handling, then the metal detectors. And don't forget the guards." BB lead Shiko away from the screen, the number thirteen blinking above it.

Shiko nodded. "Sorry, but it's freaky." She girl mumbled, shaking her head. "That was weird. So, you got everything taken care of?" She asked, trying to figure out how her friend would smuggle the daggers in through the metal detectors.

BB smiled mysteriously. "You'd better believe it. all you have to do is distract the guard running the detector, and I can do the rest." He lead her through the crowds of people, keeping a light touch on her arm, barely even touching the sleeve of her shirt. "Trust me, this is going to work."

"How should I distract him? Act insane?" She asked. "No, then he probably wouldn't let me on the flight. Hmm." The girl pondered to herself, following along.

BB smiled. "You'll figure something out. But be quick about it...we've got only a few more minutes before we get there."

The girl nodded with an cruel gleam in her eye. "I can finally use my shortness to an advantage." She said laughing softly to her self, before taking a deep breath. "I'll go ahead, how long will you need?"

"A few minutes, five at most. Can you keep them busy for that long?"

Shiko nodded, then took a deep breath and paused, closing her eyes. After a few minutes, tears started to spill out of them and she ran to a guard, by now full out sobbing. She stood for a minute, before dropping to the ground, holding her hands to her eyes and continuing to cry.

BB watched his friend's acting ability for just a split second before he got behind the desk of the off-duty guard that was supposed to be running the metal detector, said guard going over to try and figure out what was wrong with the "little girl" who was crying in front of his partner. "Good, this is pretty easy." BB pulled out a small bundle of tools from the pocket of his jacket and got to work on the wires connecting the metal detector to its alarm, then worked on detaching it from the guard's computer, all of which took him about two minutes. "My best time yet." he murmured to himself.

She cried more, instantly figuring out a way to get out of suspicion as well as get on the flight. "M. . . My brother! I can't find him!" The girl wailed, shaking. "I was next to him, then I saw a pretty ladybug on a sign, now I'm lost!" She whimpered, hugging her knees.

BB quickly and discreetly got out from behind the desk and walked a little bit away from everyone who was running to help the poor little lost girl. He ruffled his hair up and pinched his cheeks to make it look like he had been running, then raced up to them. "Elena," he said, looking at Shiko with a 'play along' look, "why did you run off like that! I was worried sick!"

The girl looked up, then stood swiftly and hugged her 'brother' "I'm sorry. I saw a ladybug, and it was pretty." She muttered, looking down for a second, then letting the tears stop, she looked around. "when is our plane going? I wanna see grandpa!" She said with a happy squeal.

BB looked up and at the terminal. "Our plane's leaving in a few minutes, Elena. We've really gotta hurry." He looked at the guards. "Thank you so much for taking care of my baby sister. I'm so sorry if she caused you any trouble."

The guard nodded. "Please sir, make sure your sister stays with you. We don't need brats running around." The girl smiled at BB, seemingly unaware of the fact she was being insulted. "Let's go! We gotta get there soon!"

BB nodded and wrapped an arm around "Elena's" shoulders. "Alright, alright, come on. We've got to get to the plane." he started to lead her away, pretending to forget that they had to go through the metal detector so that he wouldn't arouse the suspicion of the guards. He remembered that the serial killer from whom he had learned of this technique had forgotten to do that, and it was how he got caught. BB, however, knew better. "C'mon Elena. We gotta get to the plane now."

The girl grinned happily. "Kay _Onii-Chan_." She laughed, following the boy, and randomly giggling, acting just like a young child.

BB walked off, making sure to duck through the crowd as carefully as he could, dragging Shiko along lightly by the arm. "Shiko, you are a wonderful actress, but weren't you laying it on kind of thick? I mean, it seems like you were being too much like a little kid. Now, we'd better hurry. We've only got about three minutes to get to our gate. C'mon." BB started to run the two of them through the crowds, heading straight for Gate 13.

The girl sighed softly, wiping off her face. "Sorry BB. . .I guess I got carried away." she shook her head, getting rid of the time she had really been lost. Maybe she shouldn't have made it so similar. The girl shifted her back as she ran after her friend, thinking about the long flight they were up for. It was a good thing he remembered the gum.

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**In Los Angeles: **

_I stared out the window of the "house" I was currently residing in, staring at the City of Los Angeles. The City of Angels. Ha! This city has no angels, only devils trying to become angels in the eyes of worthless mortals. I was the only one who seemed to see it, however. Well...no. Maybe not the only one. It might be possible that the interviewers could see it too. And if they couldn't... 'Well,' I thought as I smiled, 'if they can't see it, I can always have a little fun with them. It's been far too long that I tried to have a second coming.' I laughed quietly as I turned away from the window to face the interior of the room, mostly a bare room, covered in dust. The only thing in it was a cot, where I sometimes slept, and a refrigerator. I walked over to it, opening the inside to reveal that it is filled with jars of fresh strawberry jam. I took one from inside and unscrewed the lid, sticking my fingers inside then pulling them out, licking them clean of the sweet tasting substance. "Let the game begin..." I whisper, thinking of my two new players._


	5. Chapter 5

**Shiko: Buahahaha I have taken over the Disclaimer/Author(s) note! **

**Anyway, here we have our next chapter. Please remember, we own nothing. Not even a lawyer. So no suing, Okay? I'm want something with sugar now. *Twitch twitch.* Need sugar.**

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_'Ugh, I hate flying. I don't know why we humans couldn't have been born with wings, or why we can't ever trade for them. I would give anything to be anywhere besides on this 747, anywhere. I look over toward my left, at Shiko. She's fallen asleep during the ride, planes always did make her tired. It's good to see that ONE of us is getting some rest, at least. I turn to look back out my window, my eyes scanning the area below us. We're nearly there...nearly in Los Angeles. I don't know what we're going to find here...but...if it's what B promised, then our lives will only get better…'_

Shiko blinked awake as a pinging filled the air. "Please fasten your seat belts. We will be landing shortly." A voice said over the intercom. The girl jolted up and blinked, looking around. "Hey, we're almost there!" She said cheerfully

BB nodded his head, keeping his face turned out the window. "Yep, we're almost there...almost to the chance of our lifetime. Can you believe it?" The last part came out as a whisper, gentle and soft. BB was nervous, but he wasn't about to show it.

"We're about to meet the man responsible for the LABB murder case..."

"Yeah. Let's just hope he doesn't decide to add us to the death list." The girl mumbled, stretching. "Now, how are we going to get there? I doubt a taxi would a good idea to get to the house." She muttered.

"I rented us a car earlier. It should be waiting for us at the airport, it's got dark tinted windows. This way, if anyone sees the car, we can see them before they see us." BB blinked when the intercom system toned. "We are landing. Please put your seats in the upright position."

Shiko did as it said, putting her seat up. "Cool. It's like a spy car. Hehe." She chuckled. "So, any way, as soon as we get there I'm making coffee. I ran out in the middle of the flight. Can you believe that?"

"Yes, I can. The way you drink coffee, you'd think it was going to become extinct." BB chuckled, turning to face her. His eyes showed that he hadn't managed to sleep at all during the flight. "And, yes, like a spy car."

BB moved his seat into the upright seating position and locked his eating tray as well. "It was a tough get, too...I had to dip into some of my older money."

"It's worth it, however."

The girl huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, maybe it is. Maybe coffee eating space aliens will come down and eat it all. The girl glanced at her partner and let her arms fall to her sides. "BB, remind me to knock you out with a frying pan when we get to the hotel. You need sleep. And shouldn't I be helping pay for this?"

"I don't need any sleep, Shiko. I'm fine the way I am. Besides, it hasn't been that long since the last time I slept. Only one hundred and ninety two hours. As for the payment, I've already gotten it taken care of. Don't worry about it, Shiko. I'm quite capable of allowing this." BB turned his face back toward the window, looking out at the area below. "Wow...Los Angeles looks wonderful."

It was true: the skyline of the city was wonderful from the aerial view the two of them had, rising and falling in odd intervals. It made a sort of wave, an ocean of concrete and people. "...Hard to believe who's down there, waiting for us."

The girl blinked and did some quick math in her head. "BB, that's eight days! You are getting knock out with a frying pan." She muttered, before peeking over the others shoulder as best as she could. "I guess so. If you ask me It would look better with more trees." The girl said, being the nature freak she was. "What do you think?"

"I don't really mind...you know that. I'm comfortable anywhere." BB moved back so that Shiko could easily see over his shoulder, leaning in the seat. "Besides, it's not that bad...At least I haven't been up for ten days. YOU remember what I was like when that happened. Now, I suppose we need to know what we are going to do when we get there. Think we can come up with a partial-plan in the time it takes for us to land?"

"You still need sleep. We can't have a grumpy BB near a serial killer, can we?" Shiko mumbled. "I think we should go as soon as possible. You were the one who said he was getting impatient after all."

BB nodded slightly. "Agreed...perhaps we should go right after we land...it might be better that way. Do you think he left us another message?" BB hoped there would be; he was enjoying the way that B was testing them, challenging them, trying to see if they were good enough to interview him. It was a way to prove that they were willing to do whatever he asked or ordered, without turning him into the police. The ultimate game of "cat and mouse," but who was really the cat in this? BB didn't know, and he really didn't want to find out.

"Hmm. . . Yeah. We can leave the cooler there as a peace offering." She mused, then glanced at her friend. "Who knows? Hmm. . . Maybe it's another one with the weird ink. Remind me to ask where he got that before we leave." She said, grinning. So much fun could be had with that. Especially around their jerk of a boss.

"I'll remind you. I can already see the evil little wheels in your brain turning, Shiko. You're planning on using that on the boss. However, if we ask B to "visit" the boss, well...there won't really be any need for that ink, unless we get another one just like him." BB rationalized the thoughts the girl was having, reminding her of the promise she'd made him give earlier. "Anyway, looks like we'll be landing in about ten minutes...right on time." he said as he checked the pocket watch (an old fashioned one, something no one else would EVER have, or could ever really pull of having). "At least there's ONE thing about airlines I like: if a flight is not delayed and it gets there on time, I'm happy."

Shiko nodded. "So? It would still be useful to have. Plus, who doesn't like messing with people's minds?" The girl asked, grinning. "Anyway, I wonder what B will be like. I hope he won't kill us. I'd hate to be dead. Unless the under world had coffee. Then maybe it wouldn't be so bad." the girl said with a chuckle. "I'm almost like a ranger with my coffee, aren't I?" She asked.

"Yes, you are, Shiko." BB said, sending his friend a dazzling smile. Since BB rarely smiled, this was something to be treasured, and, if possible, caught on camera. "But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. I, too, wonder what he will be like...will he try to attack us, will he leave us be? There are so many variables in this...and it all depends upon a man no one really knows anything about." BB sighed softly, letting his gaze drop down to his hands, which rested in his lap. "I'm starting to think you might have been right in the beginning...but we can't give up now. We just...can't."

Shiko blinked and quickly went for her phone, grabbing it and hitting the camera button, than taking a quick picture. Normally, she was never fast enough to catch her friends smile on camera, but she always tried. "Hopefully it's the latter. I don't want to die yet." She said, studying the picture.

BB knew that Shiko hadn't managed to get his picture, seeing as he was faster than anyone else at making a smile disappear from his face. He'd had lots of practice, with what had happened in his life before. "Hopefully, but hope isn't exactly enough. We're going to have to do as much as we can to get him comfortable enough so that he WON'T kill us, even after this is over. We're going to have to convince him we're his friends."

Shiko pouted at her friend. "Jeez, you couldn't keep a smile long enough for me to get a picture?" She said, then smiled softly. "Why do you think I had us get so much jam? I wonder if he's going to test us. I know I would, in his shoes."

BB shook his head. "No, I couldn't. You know how I am with smiling." He leaned back in his seat, turning his eyes toward the ceiling of the plane. "As for the test, he already has. We've solved his problems, we're coming to him...as far as I know, this should be part of his test. This might even BE his test; to make sure we won't betray him so far. It's only one part of it, of course, the next starts when we get to L.A. But, for now, we're already in his test."

The girl nodded. "I know. But still, I never know when you'll smile. what if you never smile again?" The girl frowned at the test thought. "You're right. I wonder what he would have done if we had stayed home."

"I'll smile again, someday, Shiko. And he probably would have come home to us and destroyed us. It wouldn't have been the best solution for him...because it would have caused a stir panic...but...it would have been what he would do." BB nodded slightly, almost as if assuring himself. "Passengers, this is your captain speaking. We'll be landing in about five minutes. Please prepare yourself for some turbulence."

The captain's voice sounded over the PA system, and BB looked out the window again. '...Here we come, B...ready or not...'

The girl shrugged. "If you're certain, then I'm glad we came. I'd prefer to now be destroyed." She said, chewing a piece of gum. After all, she didn't want her ears popping out again.

BB nodded, popping a piece of gum into his own mouth. He chewed it easily, occasionally blowing a bubble, still staring out the window. "What do you think he'll make us do next?"

"Hopefully nothing to bad." The girl mumbled, sighing. Then she continued peering out the window, watching the last of the clouds fade.

"...Agreed..." BB whispered so silently you could barely hear him unless you were actually listening for a response. He didn't know what was going to happen next, but he knew that they were going to find out. They were on their way at last.

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**LAX Airport, Los Angeles, California:**

_I smiled to myself as I watched the flights coming in, knowing my two little reporters would be on one of them. All was going according to my plan: they would arrive at one thirteen, a perfect time. I had to be quick, then, I only had a few moments left. I pulled the note out of the pocket of my coat, using the other hand to brush back the blonde hair of the wig I was wearing. This disguise was something I would rather have gone without, but it could not be avoided sometimes. With nimble fingers, I posted the note on the billboard where all other notes for incoming passengers were, though they were normally used to inform them of locations of family members or such, if they missed their arrival time. This, however, would be my two little friends newest clue, the way to find me. One last test before they met the main player, so to speak. I let my smile reappear as I watched flight 13 arrive in the docking bay, knowing, just knowing that they were on it. I had best leave, but not before I get a glimpse of them. After all, with blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as a pair of blue jeans, a light blue short sleeved shirt, and tennis shoes, I did not look too out of place in a Los Angeles airport. I could have been anyone...and that means that they would not take the time to memorize me. I could examine them without their knowledge...how fun. A lion stalking the prey..._

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**A/N At a random point in this chapter 1349 words were reached. I believe you all know what that means.**


	6. Chapter 6

**BB: Hello, everyone! Welcome to the LONGEST chapter of B's Revenge EVER! This baby is over NINE THOUSAND WORDS. NINE THOUSAND WORDS. In total, we have 9583 words, excluding the authors notes. THAT is an accomplishment. I'm so proud of Hoshiko13 (Shiko) and myself (yes, I know that pride is a seven sin and stuff, but still, wouldn't **_**YOU**_** be proud?). Anyway, that's about it for this...ah, that's what I'm forgetting!**

**Disclaimer: Hoshiko13 and BeyondBirthday93 do not own Death Note, Death Note: Another Note, Nickleback, t.A.t.U., Skillet, LAX airport, the Royal Crowne Hotel, or anything else you'll see in this, besides their names of BB and Shiko.**

**On with the story...**

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_"I shivered as we walked off the plane, the hair on t he back of my neck raising up. Looking around, however, there was nothing note worthy. Glancing at the notice board, however, something caught my eye. 'BB,' I whispered to my partner. 'Is that written in red ink, or is it just me?"_

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BB blinked and looked over at the board Shiko had pointed out, seeing a note posted on there. It wasn't anything too out of the ordinary: a note on a board that was used to inform passengers of when/if their family members would be at the airport. However, the note Shiko was talking about _was_ different than the others in two very important ways. One, it was written in red ink, and two, it had a splatter of strawberry jam near one corner. "...Yeah, it is." he said, reaching out to pull the push pin out of the cork of the board, which would let the note fall free. "...get ready to catch it." he ordered before pulling the pin away, watching the paper flutter in the air, spiraling downwards.

Shiko's hand darted out, grabbing the paper swiftly. Then she lifted her hand, carefully unfolding the slight creases. "If you can guess who this is from, you get a cookie." The girl mumbled, studying the note. "Oh, a blunt note." She said, then began to read. "_'Welcome to the final step of your game. The last challenge you must face is a small test, a chance to see if you can find me. Think of it like 'Hide-and-Go-Seek,' with a twist: if you cannot find me within the next forty-eight hours, you will leave here, no story, nothing at all. If you find me...you already know what you will receive. We start at 4:13. The chase is on. ~B'_" she put the note down, peering at her friend. "I know where to look first."

BB nodded, his mind already following Shiko's train of thought.

"The car should be in the front...the luggage carousel should be up there as well, so we won't have to walk very far. I'll grab the keys from whoever's at the desk..." he trailed off, remembering the _last_ time he'd talked to someone behind a desk. "On second thought, maybe you should talk to them and get the keys...I don't have a good history with people behind counters. Anyway, after we get the bags and the car, we'll go straight to the house address in the first note. Do you still have it with you?"

The girl nodded and pulled the note out, showing it to her friend. The words had re-appeared, considering she put it in the freezer, but the disappearing words were just a bit fainter then the once that had remained.

"Here you go. Don't kill anyone while I'm gone." she said, turning around and walking to the counter. BB and people behind counters did not mix. At all. Shiko, however, had a way of dealing with them. Pouting and looking cute was a very very good method.

BB refolded the note and placed it in the left pocket of his jeans, heading toward the luggage carousel. He waited until Shiko's bags came out, as well as his own. With a precision that no one else around him seemed to possess, he grabbed both of the bags, stumbling for a second before managing to pull them back up. He placed them on the luggage trolley beside him, then started to make his way over to where Shiko was talking to the person behind the counter. _'Ugh,'_ he thought to himself. _'Why are there so many people behind counters nowadays? In fact, why are there people behind counters at all?'_

He flashed his memory back to all the encounters he'd had with people who were behind counters: ticket takers at movies, cashiers at restaurants, even the receptionist at work. All of their talks had ended up with someone cowering in fear of BB, and BB being confused as to what happened. _'Man, I hate people behind counters...'_ he thought, sighing quietly. Hopefully Shiko would have gotten rid of him before he got up there. Hopefully.

Shiko smiled as she was handed the keys. It had taken a little convincing, something about not being the one who rented the car, along with looking like a twelve year old girl, but the person had been quick enough to hand them over when BB started walking over. Funny how people always did that. The girl walked back to her partner, grinning. "So, you actually going to let me drive this time? Or are you going to drive again?"

"I'll drive. No offense is meant to you, Shiko, but...well, you remember what happened the last time you drove." BB recalled the incident fondly: a policeman had stopped the two of them and asked why a child was driving the car. It had been rather embarrassing for the police officer when he'd learned exactly how old Shiko was, and had turned terrifying when the policeman saw BB. For some reason, whenever someone saw him, they got very terrified.

"You know I don't have anything against your size, but you know what the law would think. Besides, we've only got forty eight hours...but I'll make you a deal; I'll drive today, you drive tomorrow. This way, we'll have equal turns. And, if we don't find B, I'll let you drive when we get back home. Sound like a deal?" BB stuck his hand out, keeping one of them on the luggage trolley. He didn't need it rolling off, what with everything it had on it. He awaited Shiko's reply, already knowing what part of it would be, at least. That was the good thing about them having been friends for so many years: even though Shiko still couldn't always decipher him, BB could read her like a book. It made for some interesting arguments sometimes.

The girl huffed. "Stupid police officers not knowing I'm a freaking twenty five year old woman." She muttered. "Oh well. That does work out occasionally. Fine." the girl muttered, shaking her partners hand. "Meh. At least we can get out of any speeding tickets. You'd terrorize the officer to much, and I look to sweet and innocent." The girl said, grinning. "Come on, let's go. I'm almost as impatient as you in a traffic jam."

BB blinked, tilting his head to the side.

"I terrorize people?" he said with a grin, knowing this to be the truth. For some reason, people had always been scared of him. He could never really explain it, only know that it was something odd that always occurred. He started to push the luggage cart outside, taking it over to a black Aston Martin DBS. He stopped the cart at the trunk of the car and with a small switch of his finger on the button on the automatic lock pad connected to the keys, the trunk popped open. He placed all of their equipment and clothing inside, barring the jam, which would ride in the cooler in the backseat of the car. "Go ahead and get in, Shiko. I'll get this stuff, okay? Find a good radio station, if you can...none of that Hollywood crap."

The girl nodded, running up to the front seat and crawling in, shutting the door behind her and flicking the key in, bringing the car to life with a deft twist. Then she went through the stations. "No no no no no." She muttered as she flipped through them, finally stopping at one station, letting the beginning music of _'Savin me'_ by Nickleback play. "Here we go." She said as she leaned against the seat buckling herself in. The girl was a big fan of a lot of the Nickleback songs, especially this one. Why, she couldn't place.

BB finally got all of the luggage inside the trunk, except for the cooler with the jam in it. He held that in one hand, carrying it around to the front of the car and opening the driver's side door. He smiled when he heard the sounds of Nickleback's song _Savin' Me_, a personal favorite of his for reasons he had never explained.

"Shiko, I'm going to go and put the trolley over in it's place, okay? Put the jam in the back seat, and keep the keys on you. Lock the doors, and don't unlock them until I get back, just in case someone's watching us." He didn't need to add who might _be_ watching them, seeing as there could only be one person.

"Yes sir!" The girl grinned with a salute. The girl quickly shoved the cooler in the back seat, then hit the lock button, immediately locking every door there was. Finished, she smiled as she hummed the tune to the song, trying to keep from singing it. She was a known mass murder when it came to songs. Even if she could nail the lyrics, she could never get the tune right.

BB walked off with the trolley, rolling it to its proper place. He sighed as he looked around the LA airport, his own paranoia settling in. BB had never been good around crowds, and he didn't think he ever would be. For some reason, the thought of being surrounded by so many people, or anything, really, made him tense up. He didn't really understand it. He sighed, then ran a hand through his messy hair, messing it up even more. He turned to walk from the trolley rack when he bumped into someone. It was a blonde male, pale, with blue eyes. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of beaten up sneakers, and he had his own empty trolley by his side.

"Sorry about that," BB said with a small apologetic smile. The man didn't even acknowledge that he'd said anything, just put his trolley up and started off towards the parking lot. BB frowned at that; it was well known that he hated people who were rude, but he figured things must work differently here. _'I've got to remember, we're not in Columbus anymore.'_ he thought, fixing the line from _'Wizard of Oz'_ to meet his needs. With that final thought, he stuffed his hands deep inside his pockets and made his own way to the parking lot, trying to tell himself that the person he'd bumped into was no big deal.

Shiko blinked as the song switched to another from Nickleback. What was it, Nickleback day? Ah well, she wasn't complaining.

"Look at this photograph. Every time I do it makes me laugh." She sang softly, then blinked as she watched a blond guy pass by the window, pausing to glance at her. It was strange. He didn't look at her at first, but over her head. Then his eyes flickered down to her face. They were red she noted. Then the man turned and left walking away swiftly, with a strange slouch.

BB walked out of the airport to the parking lot, his shoulders hunched over in an effort to shield his face from the sun. _'Damn, why does it have to be so __bright__ in LA?'_ he thought, shuffling over to the car. He knocked three times on the window in a way to let Shiko know who was outside, seeing as she knew he would always knock three times on anything, door or otherwise. "Shiko."

The girl waved and unlocked the car. "BB!" She exclaimed as her friend got in the car. "I think there's a Nickleback marathon! This is the second song." She said grinning. "By the way, do you want to get some sunglasses? You're squinting." She muttered. "Oh, by the way, a strange dude walked by the car."

BB blinked, getting into the car and closing the door. The moment the darkness of the tinted windows blocked out the sun, he relaxed, allowing his eyes to open fully.

"Ugh...I hate brightness...and a marathon, you say? That's great!" he kept his face blank as he said this, but his voice held the smallest tinge of excitement. BB had always been emotionally blank, acting as though nothing could get to him. It had something to do with his past, before he met Shiko, but he'd never told her.

"Look at this photograph, every time I do it makes me laugh, every time I do it makes me..." BB sang along with the ending of the song, just for fun before addressing Shiko's question about sunglasses. "No, I'm fine. I might need them when we get out of the car again, though. You know I'm not too used to bright lights. And a strange person? ...did he have blonde hair?"

The girl nodded. "Uh-huh. He had red eyes to. He was looking. . .above. . . My head" Suddenly the girl paled. "Y-you don't think that was B do you?" The girl muttered, gulping. "I-I mean, he can't know who we are, right? Right?" The girl muttered frantically as the third song in the marathon, _If Today Was Your Last Day_ played.

BB held up his hands, trying to calm his friend down. "Shiko! Calm down, girl. It couldn't have been B, remember? Why would he be right out in the open, right in front of us? And why would he even try to pass by us? It was probably just some random guy who had red contact lenses in, and he must've been looking at the roof of the car. Remember, this is a really good one, one of the top. He might have just been looking at it. Don't worry, I doubt it would be B."

BB blinked when the newest song started to play, a chill settling itself on his heart. However, he didn't let it show, keeping his face expressionless. "Now, we just have to get going to the address..." he pulled out the note from his pocket and handed it to the girl. "Read off the directions for me...I'll drive us there. Hopefully traffic will be light."

The girl blinked and took a few deep breaths, calming herself. Her friend was right, that couldn't have been B. Could it? _'No! Bad mind! Shut up!'_ The girl thought to herself, blinking to rid herself of any thoughts other then the ones she wanted. "Okay. The house number is 4913." She quoted, from the note. "I-I think if there are any streets that have a 'B' or two in them, we should check there. The girl glared at the radio as the song played. "Grr. . . I think radio stations stalk people just to play these songs."

BB nodded, igniting the engine and backing out of the parking space. He drove them out of the parking lot and into the relatively light traffic, something that made his mind relax slightly. "Shiko, there should be a map inside the dashboard." BB said absently as he adjusted the rear-view mirror, keeping one hand on the wheel. "Check and see if you can find any streets with Bs in them, this way we don't have to wander around and possibly lose a whole day." BB kept his thoughts clear and ice cold, making sure that he was focusing clearly. He didn't notice that some of his coldness had sunk into his voice, making it even more menacing than normal. "I'll drive where you tell me to go."

Shiko nodded once, digging around. When her partner got like this, it was best to do as told. He didn't get that way often, but it did happen on occasion, such as now. She studied the streets, looking over each one. "Branch Boulevard." She said suddenly. "Take the next left. Then a right, go straight for a mile, then take two more lefts and we should see it." The girl said, prattling off the directions.

BB followed the directions Shiko told him, keeping his ice cold eyes trained on the road. They were going down Branch Boulevard now and he let his eyes trail to the corners, looking at house numbers for just a few seconds on his side before turning back to the main road. The numbers on his side were even, meaning, if the house was here, it would be on Shiko's side. "Shiko, you've got to look out your side...you have the odds, I got evens. Just check for the house number, if we don't pass over four thousand nine hundred on your side, we know it's not here. And if we do, then the house will be on your side."

She nodded, examine the numbers. After a few minutes of silence she mutter. "Past it. We should be getting close." The girl shivered. The house on the street were all old and worn down. They looked haunted, to be honest. Finally she pointed to one. "There's the house." It was a bit more tattered then the others. A window was broken, and the three had come loose, falling below it. "Well, looks like we're here."

BB turned into the drive of the house, looking up at it with his cold eyes. It was a dark house that hadn't been painted in a long while (or ever, if he was being honest), with the shingles of the roof falling off. The roof itself seemed to have sagged in, and a few of the windows were broken, not just one. All it took was a little more examination to see it. BB stopped the car and cut the ignition, plunging the two of them into sudden silence. "...we came here. Now we need our story." BB unbuckled his seatbelt, sliding the car door open at the exact same time. "...grab the cooler...just in case he's here."

Shiko nodded. "BB, relax. You're an ice cube. Probably not a good first impression, ne?" The girl said softly. She opened the back door and grabbed the cooler, dragging it out and carrying it carefully to the door. The house was rundown, no doubt about it. She had to admit, it was a bit cliché. She would, however, be keeping that thought to herself. After all, she didn't want to offend a serial killer, did she?

BB slid out of the car, closing the door the moment he was able. He hadn't even noticed his cold exterior, too focused on what was about to happen. Now that Shiko had mentioned it, he forced himself to relax and calm himself, making himself warmer.

"Sorry, Shiko." he murmured. He knew that his friend didn't like it when he was like that, it made him seem like a stranger to her more than likely. He turned his thoughts away from that, focusing them once again on the house. It seemed like the typical horror movie house, but this time, the horror was real. BB started up towards the front door, turning back when he was halfway there to look at Shiko. "...you coming?"

"Yes. Give me a minute." The girl mumbled as she carried the cooler. It was heavy, but she wasn't about to let her friend carry it. She caught up quickly, falling into step next to the other as they walked to the front house. "So, do you think he's really here?" The girl mumbled as the approached they door, smiling softly now that her friend was trying to relax. She really didn't like it, mainly because of the fact that she didn't like coldness. Which was why if he didn't melt after a bit she told him he was an ice cube, and it usually worked.

BB shook his head.

"No...not right now, I don't. This seems like the too-obvious place, you know? Like...like where's the best place to hide? In plain sight is the natural answer, but this is Beyond Birthday we're talking about...so he won't just be in plain sight...he'll be somewhere we least expect. So, no, I don't think he's here right now, but I think he WILL be here when we start our interviews." BB shuffled up to the door and gently spun the knob. It was locked, as though the house was awaiting someone's return with the proper key. "The door's even locked...he must be out. Maybe we should check around the outside...he might have left us another clue. After all, this is his 'game,' and a game's not fair if the players don't know all the rules."

Shiko blinked. "I'm leaving the cooler here." She said, setting it down. Then she looked around. "We could always climb in a window." She suggested. Then she tilted her head at her friend. "How bout we each check one side, then meet around back?" She said. It seemed like a good idea. They could both look for a clue, and it would be done quicker.

BB nodded, already heading for the left side of the house. "Alright. I'll take the left...you take the right." The reason BB had decided to do it this way was because the left side of the house faced another house, while the right side faced the street. That way, if B did show up, Shiko would have a chance to get away while BB distracted him. With BB being boxed in as he was, it'd make him the better target. "We'll meet at the back...I don't think we should go inside, though, so don't attempt it. Not unless we absolutely need to." With that, BB vanished around the corner of the house, his eyes doing an automatic sweep for anything out of the ordinary.

The girl nodded, then turned and started walking around the house, looking around. Where would one least expect to find Beyond Birthday. Well, one would expect him to be in a place like this, of course. He liked jam, and other sweet stuff, so you could think to find him somewhere around there. But where would anyone not expect him to be? What did B hate? Thinking the girl could name a few things. It appeared the B wasn't to fond of L. Or Naomi. Defiantly not fire. But, wait. Would it be obvious either way? Wouldn't the best choice to be to wait somewhere completely neutral to him? Shiko, who wasn't paying attention because she was lost in her thoughts, tripped over a rock just as she was rounding the corner.

BB kept his eyes sharp as he searched the area around the left side of the house, looking for anything out of the ordinary. BB had spent all night reading through the LABB murder case book, memorizing every single aspect he knew of it. He knew some of how B thought, not all of it, but he knew enough to know that the man was a player. A gamer. Someone who wouldn't leave his prey without some form of clue. Now the two of them just had to find it.

"But where is it?" BB murmured aloud. "Where..."

"Oww." The girl moaned as she stood up, brushing herself off and looking at a skinned knee. "Damn. I was hoping to steer clear of injuries." The girl twisted to see the rock she had tripped on. It, however, had turned over when she fell, to show a bit of white with a splotch of red. The girl blinked, before grinning. "Hey! BB" She called, loud enough to be able to get her friend over there quickly.

BB blinked when he heard the sound of Shiko's voice. _'Sounds like she's found something.'_ he thought, grinning brightly. He raced over as fast as he could, being careful not to trip over anything, and finally made his way back to the front of the house. He swirled around the right hand corner and looked around for Shiko. "Shiko?" he called softly, walking forward just a few steps. "What did you find?"

"A note smudged with jam under a rock." The girl muttered, pointing excitedly to her find and forgetting the stinging in her leg. "I think it's a note. Read it! Hurry!" She said, smiling as she examined the skinned knee, and wincing as she carefully wiped it off with her shirt.

BB looked from the note to Shiko's knee. "Let's take care of that first," he answered, reaching into his pocket. He always kept a small first-aid kit on him, just in case something happened (and, with Shiko being sort of accident-prone, it was bound to). He pulled out a tube of Neosporin, as well as a big square bandage, then set to work.

"Bend your knee," he ordered as he kneeled down, unscrewing the cap from the Neosporin. He quickly applied some to the freshly skinned knee, rubbing it around. "Sorry if this hurts, Shiko." he apologized before putting the bandage on the knee, hiding any evidence that she'd been hurt. He stood up then, quickly taking the note from his partner. "Okay...let's see what he has to say for us this time." With that, BB unfolded the note, reading the words written upon it aloud: "_The two of you found the obvious place, but not my base. Try again. ~B._"

Shiko blinked, wincing at the cold neosporin but keeping still and letting her knee be bandanged. After the note was read, she huffed. "What? So, where do you think he is?" She said, waiting to see if her partner had shared any of her musings. Musing that had made her trip over a rock. Wait, if she had been paying attention, the note might not have been found. Being a klutz was useful at times.

BB frowned and bit his lip, staring at the note. "...do you think that he could have used that ink from before, to hide another clue? If he did, and he put it on this note-you see, there's enough room for more writing here at the bottom-then we could just use heat to get the note back to normal. Do you think that's a possibility?" He tilted his head and looked up at his friend questioningly, waiting for her opinion. BB actually had a couple of thoughts as to where B could be, but he didn't want to share them just yet. They were only theories for now...he didn't have any solid facts. Another clue would be a big help.

The girl blinked, then nodded. "You think he wrote on it, then heat it up to hide it? Okay! I'll go get a jar from the cooler!" The girl said happily, running back to the front of the house. This time passed with out incident, and soon she was back with a very cold jar of jam. "Let's see." She said simply, holding the jar out to her partner.

BB took the jar from Shiko, making sure not to drop it. He pressed the cold jar of jam to the top of the note, then the back, letting the cold seep inside it. He watched quietly as words appeared, faint words, but still words. He studied them silently, letting his eyes trace over the words written there, widening them with every sentence he read. _'Hello, BB and Shiko. Welcome to Los Angeles...I hope you will enjoy your stay. As you already know, I am not at the house address I originally told you, but you will find me. Do not worry about that. I will not tell you exactly where you will find me, but I shall give you three clues as you go along, this is the first: I am somewhere you know, somewhere you will go whether it is hot or cold. Ta ta. ~B'_

B held the note out to Shiko, his face blank. His mind was already trying to unravel the riddle around B's words, working forward. _'What could he mean?'_

The girl took the note and read it, thinking to herself. "Weather it's hot or cold. BB, Do you think he means the actual temperature? Or the location?" She asked, blinking.

BB looked up at Shiko, his face as expressionless as before. "I don't know, Shiko. I'm still trying to work my way around it. But I think he might mean temperature. You know, like how temprature works on the notes and ink he has? Maybe he's using it as a kind of metaphor, a way to get us to where he wants us to be. That's my guess, at least...

The girl nodded. "Hmm. . . So, we'd go to the place weather it's hot or cold." The girl mumbled, then sighed. "You know, now I can only think of places to go if it was either one."

BB looked up at Shiko, his eyes turning bright with the knowledge of his thoughts. "You think he might be at the hotel, don't you? Since it's a place we'd go whether we're hot or cold, and it's a place he could easily get into, seeing as he has his disguise, and there are lots of people there for him to blend in with..." BB almost shuddered at the thought of so many people, his history with crowds coming back to him all at once. "...he may be there, he may not...but it's as good a guess as any."

The girl blinked. "You're right! Gahh. I feel like I'm being stalked right now." The girl said with a shudder. "Where did he figure all this out anyway? Neh. Don't worry BB, I'll protect you from the crowds." The girl said with a smirk. It was partly true in a way. BB might scare people with the way he acted, but Shiko could act so insane they wouldn't get close.

BB looked at Shiko, smiling only with his eyes. "Thank you, Shiko. I'm glad you'll be there to get rid of the crowds." He let his eyes shine brightly, almost happily, before turning them blank again, like a light switch being turned off. "We'll have to get to the hotel then..." BB reached into his pocket, pulling out the car keys. He contemplated for a moment before holding them out to Shiko. "Here. You drive this time."

"Yay!" The girl clapped for a moment, before stopping. "Where's the hotel?" She asked. They hadn't stoped there, but had went straight to the house the were currently to the side of.

BB looked at Shiko, then pulled out a piece of paper from his other pocket. "I printed out the directions here. We're staying at the Crowne Plaza, one of those swanky places. And, before you say it, I've got the cost taken care of and all. So we just have to follow the directions, and then we'll be there. I'll tell them to you as we go along."

The girl nodded happily, before racing to the car and climbing in the drivers seat, smiling to herself. She started the car swiftly, listening. "Hey, they changed it!" She said as a song from a different band came on the radio.

BB shuffled slowly to the passenger side of the car, getting inside easily. The moment the tinted windows blacked out the bright light of the sunshine again, he felt his body relax, allowing his eyes to become unsquinted. As he adjusted to the lighting in the car, he let his ears listen to the band on the radio. They seemed to have changed it from Nickleback songs to Skillet songs. Luckily for BB, he was a fan of both bands, so it didn't make too much of a difference for him. "You're right, Shiko. They changed it to Skillet...I think this song's _'My Obsession_.' I wonder what they'll put on next..." BB buckled up his seat belt, leaning back in the seat. "Okay, Shik-Oh, I almost forgot!" BB quickly undid his belt and got out of the car, returning to the front of the house. He picked up the cooler that had almost been forgotten and carried it back, swiftly putting it in the back seat before returning himself to his previous position. "Can't believe we almost forgot about that..."

Shiko blinked. "Sorry BB. I wasn't really thinking. Won't happen again." She promised. The thing about Shiko was, most people thought she was a child because she acted like one. She was hyper most of the time, and something about her just gave youthful aura. She, however, did not like being mistaken for a child. There had even been one time she had had to show someone her birth certificate to get them to believe she wasn't a kid. "Okay, which way?" She asked as she pulled expertly out of the drive way.

"We're going to turn onto Vicksburg Avenue, then go straight for four miles. Afterwards, we turn onto West Century Boulevard, go straight for about for about seven miles, and we should see the hotel on your side." BB looked right out the windsheild, frowning a bit at the traffic he saw. "Dammit, looks like we've got a traffic jam to go through...this might take a little longer than originally planned..."

Shiko blinked. "Let me see the map and address please." She said, turning the car around and pulling into a gas station." The girl quickly traced a different, albeit longer route, and started driving, humming happily.

BB leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes halfway. Since he had insomnia, BB didn't really sleep very often, but there were times when he would daydream, sleep without actually sleeping. He hoped now would be one of those times, because he was sincerely missing the aspect of sleep. Going over nine days (and, yes, it had been over nine days now) without sleep made BB irritable, though he kept it hidden very well. He was good at that, at hiding things. "Song change," he murmured, listening intently as '_My Obsession'_ segued into '_Open Wounds_,' another Skillet song. "I think they're trying to run a marathon of our favorite bands, Shiko," BB said jokingly.

The girl nodded. "Maybe next will be Rascal Flatts." The girl said with a small laugh, naming one of her other favorite bands. Looking at her friend out of the corner of her eyes, she gave a worried sigh. "BB, try and sleep. It'll take a while to get there thanks to the detour" She said. The girl worried about her friend sometimes, and even felt a bit guilty. She got normal sleep, but her friend didn't. She had once even put sleeping pills in his drink. That had been a bad idea, and was never to be repeated. Less a frying pan be involved. Going around a corner swiftly, the girl sighed. The traffic was a lot better here.

BB shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "No thanks, Shiko. I don't need any sleep, not right now. Besides, I can always get a couple of hours when we get to the hotel. Don't worry about me so much, okay? I promise, I'll be just fine." BB shot his friend a reassuring look, or as reassuring as an almost completely blank face could be. BB's gaze went back to the main road again, his mind wandering back on the first time Shiko had started to worry about his sleep. She'd put sleeping pills in his glass of hot cocoa, which had been a very big mistake. The pills had made him super hyper instead of sleepy (or maybe it was just the sugar in the cocoa?). Either way, BB had grabbed a frying pan and swung it at Shiko's head, laughing manically all the while. When he snapped back to his senses and realized what he had done, he'd apologized profusely to his friend. He hadn't meant to do it, he really hadn't, and he couldn't even remember much of the incident itself. It was hazy... "And maybe you're right; maybe the next song will be a Rascal Flatts song. You never know, do you?"

Shiko nodded, shuddering at the memory. She hadn't actually been hit, she ducked and then hid in a closest. But that wasn't the point. Suddenly, the song came to an end and the notes began anew. "_Here comes goodbye, here comes the last time_" floated out of the speakers. Shiko blinked, staring at the radio, before snapping her attnetion back to the road. "Dude, that was freaky. Really really freaky." The girl said, pulling onto the next road.

BB nodded, frowning a bit. "I wonder...what do you think the next song will be?" Secretly, BB had a theory on why the songs were only their favorite bands, but it was ludacris to think of such a thing. It just couldn't be _possible_...B couldn't have managed something like this. He would have to know more about them than he let on... "Hmm...I'm going to look into the future." BB said in his best 'psychic' voice. "I see...I see...that the next song on the stereo will be SR-71's song '_Tomorrow_!'" He said, letting his voice go back to normal. "Not that it'll happen." He added softly, almost in after thought. _'At least, I hope not.'_

The girl stared at the radio. A few minutes later, the song ended, and new notes began blaring out. "_It is a wonder why I'm scared_" drifted out of the radio. Shiko felt her mouth drop open. "Okay. Now I'm freaked. I'm more freaked then I've ever been freaked before. How the hell did that just happen?" The normally language mindful girl said.

BB looked up at Shiko, his eyes dark. He knew it could have just been coincidence, maybe someone had called in a request, maybe the DJ just liked the band. However, BB didn't think that was the real reason. "...I _think_," he said, putting a lot of stress on the word think, "that the two of us are getting our favorite songs, courtesy of one Beyond Birthday."

The girl blinked. "I think you may be right. Shh, listen!" She said as the DJ came on. "Well, wasn't that quiet a marathon of songs. Brought to us by an anonymous caller, who say's he's welcoming two new reporters to the scene of L.A, baby! We even have a message!" Shiko looked to her friend. "Switch the think to know." She mumbled softly.

BB nodded, listening intently to the DJ's voice as it came from the speakers: "'_Welcome to Los Angeles, my dear players. We are sure to have the best time, do you not agree? I hope you enjoy my little gift for you, a good way to keep yourself busy on the roads and in traffic jams. I know one of you finds them quite irritable. In that trait, we are alike. I will meet the two of you very soon. Ta ta_.' Weird message, right folks? Well, this IS LA, and weird is our middle name! The next song up comes from the same caller! Everyone, make some noise when it comes to these girls! I bring you '_Gomenasai_,' by t.A.t.U!" With that, the newest song started to play, a sad pop melody. BB looked up at Shiko, his eyes as blank as an empty canvas. "...Shiko..."

Shiko blinked, eyes wide as she stared at the road, making a wide turn. "How much does he know about us?" She said after while. The girl turned into the parking lot, parking the car and just leaning against the seat. She left it on, though, listening to the song. "What should we do?"

"...We do nothing. He knows more about us than we originally thought, and that puts us at a disadvantage. We have to keep playing this game and we have to get through it. This is scary, yes, but we cannot forget that the person we are dealing with is a genius. A mad genius, yes, but a genius. No matter what, we cannot afford to forget that." BB's voice was cold once more, his mind going through the automatic response it went through when something unexpected happened. He forced himself to think as the next song, _Monster_, by Skillet, popped up, blaring through the speakers: "_The secret side of me, I never let you see, I keep it caged but I can't control it, So stay away from me, the beast is ugly, I feel the rage and I just can't hold it_..."

BB tried not to think about the way the lyrics seemed to mirror him right now, forcing away thoughts of how their own monster was chasing the two of them. "He's probably been planning this since the LABB murders ended...to reveal his story to the world. He might have started looking for up-and-coming interviewers, like the two of us...and, if that's the case, he's been watching us for a long time, Shiko. A _long_ time."

Shiko sighed as she rubbed her head. "BB, do you really think he's here? Or do you think he just left another message here, waiting for us to find?" The girl muttered, taking deep breaths. Her friend hid all of his emotions, but she only blocked the bad ones.

"Why us?" She asked simply. Shiko sighed, staring out the window of the car. "I mean, seriously. We aren't that popular. Heck, our bosses don't trust us with a fricken story. So why us?" The girl ranted.

BB shrugged. "I don't know, Shiko. Maybe he didn't want it to be someone who's popular. Maybe he wanted what we are: human beings. People who make mistakes, who get hurt and everything. Maybe, he chose us. Question is...when were we chosen...that's what I want to know."

The girl nodded. "I get it. You think he picked us because we aren't in it for the money, we just do what we want?" She asked, sounding like a cliché line from a drama movie.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so. B doesn't seem like the type to go after people who're all after the glitz and glamour; he wants people who are actually _people_, not fake Hollywood-esque reporters." BB unbuckled his seat belt slowly, looking at Shiko. "We won't know until we get out of the car. So let's go."

Shiko sighed and turned the car off, climbing out. She tossed the keys over to her friend, then looked at the hotel. "Do we need to bring our stuff in yet?" She asked softly.

BB caught the keys easily in his right hand, starting toward the trunk of the car. "Better take them in...you never know what kind of people might be lurking around the parking lots." BB tried hard _not_ to think of _exactly_ who might be hanging around the parking lots, instead he focused on gathering the luggage the two of them had brought. "At least we don't have to worry about taking these bags too far in...the bellhop can do it for us, when we get to the front desk."

"Okay." She said, grabbing her own luggage. As they walked in, she looked around. "Time to use my awesome get rid of crowd maneuver?" She asked, smiling up at her friend. It was a fail safe tactic that always worked, no matter where they were.

BB nodded, tensing his shoulders a bit. He kept his face up, staring people who dared look at him right in the eye, watching them run away from what Shiko had termed his 'doomsday death glare.' BB didn't think it was really much of a glare, instead, he just saw it as the way he looked. "Yeah, Shiko...I think it's time for that tactic..."

Shiko nodded, then started skipping around singing at the top of her voice. "_I was once a tree house. I lived in a cake. But I never saw the way, the orange slayed the rake. I was only three years dead but it told a tale, and now listen, little child to the safety rail. Did you ever see a llama, Kiss a llama? On the llama? Llama's llama? Lasts of llama? Llama llama duck_?" Almost everyone save the employees cleared out at the strange girl singing the Llama song.

BB almost made a smile when his friend started to sing her odd song. For some reason, it never failed to get rid of a crowd: that time at their first college assembly, with the huge crowd pushing in on all sides; the day they had their first job interview together, new employees just vying for the roles; the first day they met, in the lobby of the high school, both of them the outcasts in the crowd...A fond look crossed through BB's eyes as he looked up and saw, of course, a person behind a counter. Oh, joy.

Shiko smiled at the woman behind the counter. "BB and Shiko, checking in. I'll stop singing if you give me the keys." The woman handed them over quickly and she skipped back to her friend.

"Crowd and counter lady taken care of." The girl said, smiling. Somehow she started thinking of how the song had helped the two, including the day they first met. It was the first day at school and there had been a huge crowd of kids waiting to get their schedules. She, being much smaller then most other students, was being shoved around. So, she started singing that song and pretty soon only two kids were their. Herself, and a boy in a long sleeved black shirt, who had introduced himself as 'BB' They were best friends from that moment on.

BB gave a nod of his head, happy that his friend had managed to get rid of the crowd he hated and deal with the counter manager. This almost made him laugh, and it flashed him back to the first day he'd heard that song. It'd been his first day in high school, freshman year. There were so many people around him, too many. He felt boxed in. And then, suddenly, he'd heard the strangest song he'd ever heard, one that made the crowd disperse faster than anything. He turned to see where it was coming from, and had seen a short girl wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. She'd stared at him as if he was something completely alien to her, and he'd stared at her blankly. They'd been best friends from that moment on.

"Thanks, Shiko." was all he said before he looked around, motioning to a nearby bellhop. "Can you grab these bags for us, please?" The bellhop, who looked like he'd seen a ghost, went and grabbed a luggage cart, putting every suitcase the two of them had between them onto it. The cooler remained in BB's hand.

"Which floor, sir?" the bellhop asked nervously.

"Floor number thirteen, rooms forty eight and forty nine." He answered back.

The girl jumped up and down, frowning a bit.

"Is this a fast elevator? Or is it one of those slow ones with lame music?" she asked. The bellhop shook his head.

"It's slow, but it plays music straight from the radio." Right as he said that, a song came on, '_Why_?' by Rascall Flatts, a song that Shiko loved, even though it occasionally made her cry.

BB blinked as the song came on. _'Another Rascal Flatts? ...has to be a coincidence...can't be what I'm thinking.'_ BB forced his thoughts away from B, turning them to the rooms. "Shiko, which room do you want?"

Shiko blinked, considering. "You can have the room named for you, I'll take room forty eight." She said, smileding and seriously freaking out the poor bell hop. "Oh look, it's your floor." He said, pulling the luggage rack out and swiftly dragging it down the fall. The girl mealy shrugged and skipped after him.

BB followed Shiko and the poor, hyperconscious bellhop down the hall at his usual slow pace, letting his eyes trail over the numbers on the doorways. Forty four, forty six, forty eight...

"Ah, here we are. Room Forty Eight, and room Forty Nine is right across the hall." The bellhop's voice snapped BB out of his near-daze, and he looked at the man blankly. He was about twenty three, with bad skin problems and long brown hair, as well as bright brown eyes. Right now, those eyes were wide with fear as they connected with BB's own.

"Thank you," BB said softly. "Now leave." The bellhop quickly ran down the hallway, eager to be away from the two strange guests as fast as possible.

BB looked at Shiko. "You going to be okay by yourself?" He grabbed his bags off the cart as he spoke, quickly lifting them up onto his shoulder.

The girl nodded.

"I'm a big girl BB, I can take care of myself. Remember the bank?" She said, referring to a time a bank they were in was robbed. Or, at least, someone attempted to rob it. Shiko had managed to fool the robber in feeling sorry for her, then kicked him, err, where it hurt. She then proceeded to kick the gun out of his hand Needless to say, he hadn't robbed anyone. "Though I doubt the same tactics will work."

BB nodded, then sighed. "You know I can't keep myself from worrying about you. You're like my little sister, Shiko. I can't stop the over-protective 'big brother' bit; it's in my nature. And...with everything we know now...Just...be careful, okay?" BB didn't normally show emotions, and for him to ask Shiko to be careful was a big thing for him. He quickly grabbed up the rest of his bags and turned to his room door, sticking the key inside.

"We'll take a few hours to rest, then we'll go back out and look for him...that is, if he's not already here." With that, BB unlocked the door to room Forty Nine, stepping inside and closing the door most of the way, pausing just to stick his head out once more.

"...keep yourself safe, Shiko," was all he said before he went completely inside the room and shut the door behind him, erecting a barrier between himself and his best friend. He sighed and pressed his forehead to the cool wood, trying to keep his calm. He couldn't lose himself now. Not with how hard he'd worked to build himself up. He closed his eyes for just a moment, trying to regain his sense, the stopped, tensing up. He could have sworn he heard something...something like a person shifting their weight from one foot to the other. His eyes snapped open, gazing at the wooden door. There was only one person who could be in the room with him. One person. BB turned around, and found himself staring into insane red eyes. Eyes that shouldn't exist in a person, but did. Shinigami Eyes.

"Hello, BB." B whispered, his voice sounding even more dead and monotone that BB's ever could. "So nice to finally meet you."

Shiko sighed as her friend left her standing in the hall. For what it was worth, the only reason the two weren't siblings was blood. They had known each other for over nine years, ever since they met in high school and BB had saved her from some people who were teasing her. All he did was look at them, and she never had trouble again. He had always protected her like that, just as she always took care of crowds. They were a good team, even though they were exact opposites. The girl rubbed her head, taking a deep breath as she opened the door to her own room and tossed her bags on the bed. Sighing softly she sat down next to them. After a minute or so she stood and walked across the hall, knocking on her friend's door. She just remembered she left her phone in the car, and figured she better go get it.

BB tensed a bit when he heard knocking on the door, keeping his eyes locked with B's. It could only be Shiko who was outside the door, and BB was nervous to let her in the room with this psychopath. However, B seemed to have other plans.

"I would deduct that is your friend, BB, is it not? Should you not let her inside the room? The two of you were invited here by me, and I do think it polite I meet you both." he whispered, his voice so...lifeless. BB glared at him once.

"Hurt her and you die," he said in a low, harsh voice, so different than his usual monotone. It was low enough that no one, not even if they had their ear pressed up to the door, would be able to hear it. BB half-turned around, just enough so that he could grab the knob of the door but still keep his eyes on B. He opened the door a little way, then, when B continued to stand where he was, BB opened the door all the way, immediately standing in front of it. It wasn't enough to block B completely from sight, but it was enough to block Shiko from B's line of sight.

_'That's what matters,'_ BB thought. _'Keep her safe, no matter what.'_ He looked at his friend and tilted his head a bit.

"Hello, Shiko." BB's voice returned to it's normal monotone. "Would you like to come inside? We have something to discuss."

The girl blinked and nodded. "Okay. I need the keys, though. I left my phone in the. . ." The girl trailed off, standing on her tiptoes.

"Who's that?" She asked, studying what she could see. As soon as she did, though, she went back down on her feet flat. She shot her friend a 'Is that who I think it is?' look, her eyes wide as she carefully stepped inside the room. She wished she had her backpack, which the two daggers were safely stowed in, but she had left that on her bed in the other room. _'Bad mistake, Shiko.'_ she mentally scolded herself.

B looked at Shiko from across the room, sticking both his hands in his pockets. "Yes, it is who you think it is. A pleasure to meet you, Shiko. I am Beyond Birthday. I have already had the pleasure of meeting BB."

BB looked at B emotionlessly, forcing himself into an utmost calm. "Alright, Beyond-"

"Ah, call me B, please." B interrupted. "Beyond is much too formal for this. I prefer it as informal as possible."

BB nodded once. "Alright, B, you know who we are, you know why we're here. So let's get down to it."

"Umm. . .Should I go get the tapes?" Shiko asked carefully, trying not to stare at the killer standing in the middle of the room. According to the book, he had lit himself on fire, but there were barely any scars. She shifted awkwardly, not sure how to act. The girl unconsciously tapped her leg, a nervous habit she could have sworn she had gotten rid of. Apperently it was back.

B almost gave a smile, but it did not even make it to his face. "No. We will not be starting the interviews here. I would prefer it if we started tomorrow, at one thirteen in the afternoon, on the dot."

BB narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a gesture that was an accustomed feature for him whenever he was feeling suspicious. "Then why did you wait for us here, if you didn't want to start the interviews now?" he questioned, his tone demanding. B flicked his gaze over to him, his eyes shining brightly.

"Oh, BB, I just had to make sure the two of you had arrived safely and with little hassel. You did not actually expect me to be a barbarian who would not check on something so important, did you?" B waited for BB to answer, but there was only ringing silence. Of course BB hadn't thought that...neither had Shiko, for that matter. They both had known not to underestimate B, and that to even think about doing so could invite certain death. However, before they'd even known it, they'd done it. And now, here they were, in a hotel room with a murderer. How much stranger could life get, right?

"Good. Now, I hope the both of you will get plenty of rest tonight; you will need it for the next few days or so. And BB, you might need it most of all. Insomnia can be horrifying, especially when you have suffered from it since the age of five. Now, I have another appointment; I wish you both good day." With that, B shuffled forward, passing the two of them so easily. He was down the hall before either one of them could even think, and in the elevator before the two reporters could move. However, before he left, he did something so odd, so strange...he waved to them, twitching his fingers like a child would if they were saying 'bye-bye' to someone. And then he pressed the button, the doors closed, and Beyond Birthday was gone.

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**With B:**

_I smiled as the elevator went down its floors, taking me to the very last one. In the reflective walls of the compartment I was in, I donned my disguise, the same one I had used earlier: white blonde wig, blue contact lenses, and make up to cover the dark circles underneath my eyes. The doors slid open and I stepped out, by-passing the crowds that had begun to reform. I had just met my two main performers, the reporters who would hear my story. I couldn't wait until we actually began..._

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**BB: Wow. Okay, for anyone who wants to know, that is over NINE THOUSAND FRICKING WORDS. **_**NINE THOUSAND**_**. In only **_**THREE DAYS**_**. This chapter could not have been written without a lot of soda, finger cramps, random conversation, thoughts of how this all began, and a whole lot of other things. The credit goes mainly to Hoshiko13, who found a way for the two of us to write this story so fast, and I suppose I get a little credit, too...Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! We'll have another one out soon! Please give us whatever reviews you will, and if you don't want to leave reviews...then don't. Doesn't bother us.**


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